Climate change is becoming a greater problem, affecting the way we live our day to day lives, leading to more people taking action in order to save our planet. In many communities in London, people are realising the effects that are endangering many.

In recent weeks, areas around London have seen a sudden rise in civil disobedience protesting for a ‘greener’ way of living. Protestors are against the United Kingdom’s delayed program against fossil fuel emissions which aims to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Alike many other countries in Europe, the proposal to ‘decarbonise all sectors of the UK economy by 2050’ is far too late and will have devastating effects on the environment, according to many protestors.

The main groups that have come into light recently are Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. Extinction Rebellion was founded in the United Kingdom in May 2018 and rely on members of the public protesting to the government about the extinction of many species on Earth.  Within the first four years of being developed, over 130 Extinction Rebellion Groups have been formed, including a group in Richmond which are currently holding meetings. A number of protests have been organised which have been known to disrupt cars and public transport across local communities in London.  

However, the latter of the groups formed is rapidly becoming a more common sight if you are living in London. Just Stop Oil was only just formed in April with similar goals to other groups protesting against the government’s current policies on fossil fuels. With over 20-30 meetings held per week, it is certain to say this group will become even more well-known within upcoming months.

Just Stop Oil is a group focusing on the current and are certainly working hard to ensure the governments’ future policies will be met. Protestors have been known glue themselves to tarmac on roads and have most recently thrown tomato soup over Van Gogh’s painting ‘Sunflowers’ which covered the glass protection over the painting.

However, it has been questioned by many whether these protests are acceptable due to the backlash invoked from the public and government. Surveys which have been carried out by ‘YouGov’ in 2019 have shown that 54% of British Adults are opposed or strongly opposed to Extinction Rebellion’s actions. Due to the more extreme backlash protestors have been facing, the popularity of these groups could decrease.

Protests in 2019 by Extinction Rebellion cost the Metropolitan Police £7.5 million, and the recent days of disruption are causing havoc to some in local areas. The Home Office are planning to sentence offences by climate change protestors through causing disruption to the public. The Home Secretary Suella Braverman has criticised protestors and has mentioned the effects of the disruptive manner of protests.

With the repercussions of protests gradually coming into place and many members of the public in communities in London being against groups, it is yet to be seen whether these radical methods being used by these groups will be counterproductive or not.